Gloucester / Cape Ann, Boston

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John Hays Hammond, Jr. - inventor - built a castle by bringing pieces of Medieval buildings over to the coast of New England. The exterior of the building is a castle, and the interior features facades of village buildings and even a climate controlled indoor pool room which they say would produce rain and snow as if it was outdoors. Walking the rooms and admiring his vast collection of artifacts is amazing. Looking out of the windows and seeing the waves crash on the cliffs is awe inspiring. I have always been fascinated by the locked room on one of the upper floors which he ordered to have permanently sealed after his death (so curious to see what is hidden in there).

The castle can be toured like a museum, and special events feature classical music concerts in the acoustically sound Great Hall.

The museum is closed in the Winter.

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I had not got to this area, but was told that Gloucester and Rockport are great sites, and the views are to behold. Apparently Rockport is more artistry culture and some touristry thrown in. Gloucester has a name from a long time ago.

For a look at a working port supporting the off-shore fishing industry, head up to Gloucester, Massachusetts for the day. It’s about a 30 to 40 minute drive North of Boston out on Cape Ann and another good example of that quintessential New England town. Gloucester is famous for its sword boat fleet and you can usually catch one of these intricate boats in port, either docked, dry docked, coming or going.

Try taking the train (purple line -commuter rail) from Boston's North Station to Rockport and Gloucester. It takes about an hour, costs $4 each way and is a glorious trip by the ocean. Rockport is a small fishing and tourist town unlike anything else in the US.